Event Reviews

Wednesday, Jul 28|by Andrew McMillen

Tough act to follow: ‘Kashmir’ at high volume over the PA. Tougher act to open for (or so I thought): Kasabian, England’s premier lout-rock purveyors of the moment. Unlikely a choice for opening act though they are, Little Red are met with a level of enthusiasm that seems to surprise even them. The strong initial reception can’t just be put down to folks confusing them with the…

Thursday, Jul 22|by Dom Alessio

If your band contains three-quarters of Australia’s psych act du jour, you’re bound to attract some attention. So it is with Pond, who are made up of three members of Tame Impala, one member of The Silents and someone called Joseph Orion (which may or may not be a nom de plume). Tonight, the Norfolk Basement is packed. And by packed, I mean I can’t turn sideways without knockin…

Thursday, Jul 22|by Trevor Block

Word of mouth got me over to the Tote early tonight, in order to catch the third live show by Nathan Hollywood’s new outfit Romance. His previous musical output was in a dark sparse country vein, marked by a willingness to experiment. While taking a year off from music to study, a chance meeting with a fellow student, Sergei, who has background in dance music, has now led him t…

Tuesday, Jul 13|by Dom Alessio

The first thing I notice is the art hanging on the red curtain at the back of the stage. It’s hard not to. A white bed sheet attacked by primary colours: It looks like Jackson Pollock’s tried to design a Twister board. It seems strangely out of place in a venue with a pumpkin-coloured lino floor.
Despite the weather warnings and bone-chilling winds blowing down Hindley Street …

Wednesday, Jun 30|by Doug Wallen

On a bone-chilling Saturday night in Ballarat, not everyone taking shelter in the popular Karova Lounge was there for the bands. And yet a bill leaning heavily on old-school garage made for solid entertainment as the hours ticked away and drinks loosened up a wide assortment of punters.
Mother And Son acquitted themselves well with just guitar and drums, opening with an instru…

Wednesday, Jun 30|by René Schaefer

Melbourne’s absolutely miserable weather might have accounted for the relatively thin crowd that congregated for what was a strong and diverse line-up of local and interstate noisemakers. The only other reason could have been the reputation The Empress still has as a venue that does not tolerate the kind of extremes of volume associated with tonight’s artists, or the Sabbatical…

Friday, Jun 25|by Andrew McMillen

An unexpected shuffling of dates found Mick Turner with some free time on a Wednesday in Brisbane, ahead of a set supporting Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions across town at The Tivoli the following night. Tonight, we gather at a location far removed from that venue’s theatrical charm: the Lofly Hangar, a customised recording studio and live performance space located in R…

Thursday, Jun 10|by Kate Hennessy

It’s been two years since Machine Translations were in Sydney to launch seventh album Seven Seven at The Gaelic Club. This time they’ve traded a pub setting for the creature comforts of Newtown’s jazz, blues and roots venue, The Vanguard. What a relief. Earlier this week, after walls of rain for weeks, Sydney copped a tornado. Our city is sodden. Our umbrellas are defeated. Wat…

Tuesday, May 25|by Kate Hennessy

When word arrives on Saturday night that Tumbleweed are supporting The Meanies at The Annandale under the pseudonym “Stumblin’ Jesus Mosquito”, I ditch previous plans and march through the rain to the pub. The boisterous roughheads barging around The ‘Dale, fists full of schooners, look exactly how I remember Meanies fans looked back in the day. They weren’t pretty then either.…

Tuesday, May 18|by Lucy Hearn

Cloud Control seem nervous as they take the stage at Oxford Art Factory tonight. The venue is sold out, and the band are clearly excited by this, but they’re not exactly sure how to deal with it either. Their set opens with 'Mediation #2' from new album Bliss Release. It's a solid beginning, but it doesn’t last. Singer/guitarist Alister Wright has a shy schoolboy charm that com…